New Falcon ls3/5a Silvers in the house

Follow up 

my Yamaha CA-2010 needs service. Yes it sounds good , but there are issues. (1) There is a certain amount of channel dropout .  I’m not sure if it’s the pot (which is a fancy 8-gang sealed Alps unit) or something else.

i had the amp serviced in 2021 but not much was done.  One switch was replaced and all the pots and switches were cleaned .  It hasn’t been recapped or re-biased.

When the channel dropout happens it is quite jarring and can send static signals to the speakers which really could be damaging.  
(2) It can be a little bit flabby.  That is an exaggeration but it’s noticeable.  I believe that if it were to be refurbished and recapped and brought into spec it could be a strong performer . My plan is to do that but I have to find someone in NYC to do it.

In the meantime I just picked up a used Van Alstine Ultravalve 35wpc tube amp… essentially a re-worked ST-70 with el34’s.

It’s an amp I’ve been looking to get for a few years and a used one came up in great condition so I took the plunge.

The amp has 16ohm taps which should make the Falcon ls3/5a’s happy.

Not sure what I’ll use as a preamp in front of it yet.  Perhaps my Van Alstine RB10 or I’ll try my homemade Intact Slagle autoformer volume control as well.

Will share the results here.

If anyone has recommendations for a good tech who could look at my 1976 Yamaha CA -2010 I’d love to hear about them

THANKS 

JS

Nice.  I think you’ll like that combination - I had original LS3/5a’s and a Dynaco ST70 back in the 1970’s and it was my first taste of higher end sound. Had an RB10 as well more recently and think you’d have to spend a lot more to do better. 

Hello there, I’ve owned LS3/5a speakers for over 30yrs.  I’m listening to my pair now playing Vinyl via a Thorens 124 table. I have a 100lb single end tube amp on them 45 watts per channel, the vacuum tube power is combined between 300b and the 805 tube.  I’m a big fan of the original LS3/5a’s.  I still own several pairs.  My son and daughter owns pairs as well and are also setup in their living rooms.  I’ve tried many different types of amplification on the LS3/5a and found tubes to sound best. Do not under power them as the drivers will get damaged as happened to me yrs ago using 18 watts single end 300b mono block amps.  I feel LS3/5a speakers need minimum 30 watts.  I also use another amp in house that provides great performance, 100lb as well, 100 watts EL34 tube power.  I’ve found a nice, well designed EL34 tube amplifier around 45-50 watts to be a perfect match.  I personally feel the LS3/5a speaker sounds best with the EL34 tube. EL34’s has more inner information and resolution than other more powerful tubes and it presents that information in a sweeter more pleasing way. All 15ohm LS3/5a’s should function very similar.  I also own big Electrostats and Magnetic speakers. I personally heavy discouraged Solid State on LS3/5a speakers.  The SS design can easily damage the drivers with loud volume.  Tube amps will be much gentler on the speakers.    My #1 pick for the LS3/5a is mid power tube amp (45-50 watts) and super recommended is a EL34 tube amp design.  No Solid State or No low power amps (below 30) if you care about your speakers. An amp I started with, still own and can highly recommend is the Conrad Johnson MV 55. There are many good EL34 tube amplifiers to choose from, good luck.  I purchased my first pair of LS3/5a when I walked into my friends house yrs ago and heard them. It was one and still, one of the best sounds I’ve ever heard. He was driving them with Cary 805C tube mono blocks.  

In reply to nealkot.  I also played the Abdullah Ibrahim album "3" on  an  oldish Audio Research  vsi60 this week.  Ibrahim's playing on the album reminded me of the NJPAC concert he gave, December 2023.   Of course, the album doesn't end with him walking off stage while singing solo!

Best Wishes,  John Dyson      

I would like to echo BlackBag20's comments regarding the Odyssey Kismet amplifiers.  I just last week acquired a pair of Kismet mono bloc amps to drive my Fyne F702 speakers, and the amplifiers are amazing.  The resolution, the tonal qualities of musical instruments, and the soundstage are excellent.  I have also noticed a significantly improved bass response when compared to the highly-rated tube amplifier I was using before these amplifiers.          

  I then also switched out my preamp to amp cables for Groneberg cables and switched my speaker cables from Raven Audio to six-foot Mogami wire cables from Performance Audio--the amplifiers are located behind each speaker.  Klaus at Odyssey tells me it will be weeks before the amps really sound good, but they already sound very good to me after the first week.  I am very pleased with my purchases.  After a few weeks I will report on how everything sounds.